Multi-Stage Secure Network Element Certificate Provisioning in a Distributed Mobile Access Network

ABSTRACT

A method is disclosed, comprising: configuring, based on hardware characteristics of a radio access device, a first security certificate; setting up a first encrypted tunnel with a first security server using the first security certificate, the first security server configured to grant permission via the first security certificate for obtaining a second security certificate providing access to an operator core network; tearing down the first encrypted tunnel; and setting up a second encrypted tunnel to a second security server within the operator core network using the second security certificate, the second encrypted tunnel configured to allow the radio access device to securely communicate with the operator core network for providing connectivity for user devices to the operator core network, wherein the first encrypted tunnel and the second encrypted tunnel to use a single transport port to obtain the second security certificate via the first encrypted tunnel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation under 35 U.S.C. § 120 of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/872,889, filed Jan. 16, 2018, and entitled“MULTI-STAGE SECURE NETWORK ELEMENT CERTIFICATE PROVISIONING IN ADISTRIBUTED MOBILE ACCESS NETWORK,” which itself claims priority under35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 62/446,158, titled“Multi-Stage Secure Network Element Certificate Provisioning in aDistributed Mobile Access Network” and filed on Jan. 13, 2017, each ofwhich is also hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for allpurposes. This application also hereby incorporates by reference intheir entirety for all purposes each of U.S. Pat. No. 9,455,959,entitled “Method of connecting security gateway to mesh network,” filedMay 29, 2014; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0086120 A1, entitled“Heterogeneous Mesh Network and a Multi-RAT Node Used Therein,” filedMay 8, 2013; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0092765 A1, entitled“Heterogeneous Self-Organizing Network for Access and Backhaul,” filedSep. 12, 2013; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0133456 A1, entitled“Dynamic Multi-Access Wireless Network Virtualization,” filed Sep. 24,2013; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0233412 A1, entitled “Methods ofIncorporating an Ad Hoc Cellular Network Into a Fixed Cellular Network,”filed Feb. 18, 2014; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0045063 A1, entitled“Multi-RAT Node Used for Search and Rescue,” filed Aug. 7, 2014; U.S.Pat. App. Pub. No. 2015/0078167 A1, entitled “System and Methods forProviding LTE-Based Backhaul,” filed Aug. 6, 2014; U.S. Pat. App. Pub.No. 2015/0173111 A1, entitled “Virtualization of the Evolved Packet Coreto Create a Local EPC,” filed Dec. 15, 2014; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2015/0257051 A1, entitled “Federated X2 Gateway,” filed Mar. 9, 2015;U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2016/0135132 A1, entitled “Self-Calibrating andSelf-Adjusting Network,” filed Nov. 9, 2015. This application alsohereby incorporates by reference in their entirety for all purposes 3GPPTS 33.310 entitled “Network Domain Security (NDS); AuthenticationFramework (AF),” IETF RFC 4301 entitled “Security Architecture for theInternet Protocol,” RFC 4303 “IP Encapsulating Security Payload,” andRFC 7296 entitled “Internet Key Exchange Protocol Version 2 (IKEv2).”

BACKGROUND

The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification(TS) 33.310 entitled “Network Domain Security (NDS); AuthenticationFrameworks (AF)” defines functionality for certificate enrollment forbase stations. In order for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) E-UTRAN Node Bor Evolved Node B (eNodeB) element to obtain connectivity to anoperator's network over an unsecured network, a secure encrypted conduitprovided by IPsec is required between the eNodeB and the securitygateway (SeGW). Mutual authentication of each peer by the other may beobtained via the use of X.509 Digital Certificates.

Within an LTE Mobile Network, an eNodeB is typically provisioned with aFactory Signed Digital Certificate. The eNodeB element utilizes the saidDigital Certificate to authenticate itself with the operator'sRegistration Authority (RA)/Certificate Authority (CA) elements. Uponsuccessful authentication, the eNodeB obtains an operator signedcertificate from the RA/CA utilizing the Certificate Management Protocol(CMPv2). CMP is a protocol for managing Public Key Infrastructures (PKI)based on X.509v3 certificates and defines messages for certificatecreation and management. CMP protocol messages may be carried over usingOpenSSL, TCP-messaging protocol on top of TCP, HTTP, TCP-messaging overHTTP, FTP, SMTP, POP, etc., and therefore require many different kindsof ports to be opened, when the base station is being connected tomultiple mobile packet core networks. Enabling ports for CMP forobtaining operational certificate therefore increases the security risksto the network.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods for a multi-stage secure network element certificateprovisioning in a distributed mobile access network are disclosed.

In a first embodiment, a method is disclosed, comprising: configuringbased on hardware characteristics of a radio access device, a firstsecurity certificate; setting up a first encrypted tunnel with a firstsecurity server using the first security certificate, the first securityserver configured to grant permission via the first security certificatefor obtaining a second security certificate providing access to anoperator core network′ tearing down the first encrypted tunnel; andsetting up a second encrypted tunnel to a second security server withinthe operator core network using the second security certificate, thesecond encrypted tunnel configured to allow the radio access device tosecurely communicate with the operator core network for providingconnectivity for user devices to the operator core network, therebyenabling the radio access device to obtain the second securitycertificate via the first encrypted tunnel. The first encrypted tunneland the second encrypted tunnel may use a single transport port.

The method may further comprise configuring the first securitycertificate not based on characteristics of a telecom operator network.The method may further comprise setting up the first encrypted tunnelwhen the radio access device may be booted from a factory-configureddefault state. The hardware characteristics of the radio access devicemay include a hardware identifier of a radio interface in the radioaccess device. The first security server may be configured to permitcommunications over Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port number4500. The first encrypted tunnel and the second encrypted tunnel may beencrypted using an IPsec protocol. The first security server and thesecond security server may be certificate authorities in a public keyinfrastructure (PKI).

The first security certificate may be configured to limit traffic usingIPsec traffic selectors. The radio access device may be a small cell,femto cell, macro cell, wireless access point, or wireless accessgateway. The first security certificate may be a factory-installedcertificate, and the second security certificate may be an operationalcertificate containing security information specific to the operatorcore network, the security information may not be present on the radioaccess device prior to issuance of the second security certificate.

The method may further comprise proxying, at a gateway situated betweenthe radio access device and the operator core network public keyinfrastructure (PKI) communications between the radio access device andthe operator core network. The method may further comprise requesting,at a gateway situated between the radio access device and the operatorcore network, the second security certificate on behalf of the radioaccess device.

The method may further comprise managing, at a gateway situated betweenthe radio access device and the operator core network, securitycertificates for a plurality of radio access devices. The first securityserver may be a gateway situated between the radio access device and theoperator core network.

The radio access device may be a virtualized radio access device in aradio access network. The first encrypted tunnel and the secondencrypted tunnel may transport certificate management protocol messages.The method may further comprise sending provisioning configuration forthe radio access device through the first encrypted tunnel from thefirst security server to the radio access device.

In a second embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable mediumcontaining instructions which, when executed on a processor, performsteps is disclosed comprising: configuring, based on hardwarecharacteristics of a radio access device, a first security certificate;setting up a first encrypted tunnel with a first security server usingthe first security certificate, the first security server configured togrant permission via the first security certificate for obtaining asecond security certificate providing access to an operator corenetwork; tearing down the first encrypted tunnel; and setting up asecond encrypted tunnel to a second security server within the operatorcore network using the second security certificate, the second encryptedtunnel configured to allow the radio access device to securelycommunicate with the operator core network for providing connectivityfor user devices to the operator core network, thereby enabling theradio access device to obtain the second security certificate via thefirst encrypted tunnel.

The steps may further comprise configuring the first securitycertificate not based on characteristics of a telecom operator network.The steps may further comprise setting up the first encrypted tunnelwhen the radio access device may be booted from a factory-configureddefault state. The hardware characteristics of the radio access devicemay include a hardware identifier of a radio interface in the radioaccess device. The first security server may be configured to permitcommunications over Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port number4500. The first encrypted tunnel and the second encrypted tunnel may beencrypted using an IPsec protocol.

The first security server and the second security server may becertificate authorities in a public key infrastructure (PKI). The firstsecurity certificate may be configured to limit traffic using IPsectraffic selectors. The radio access device may be a small cell, femtocell, macro cell, wireless access point, or wireless access gateway. Thefirst security certificate may be a factory-installed certificate, andthe second security certificate may be an operational certificatecontaining security information specific to the operator core network.The security information not present on the radio access device prior toissuance of the second security certificate.

In a third embodiment, a method is disclosed comprising: receiving, at asecurity gateway situated between a radio access device and an operatorcore network, a first request for a first encrypted tunnel using a firstcertificate from a radio access device; validating the first certificateusing identifying information of the radio access device in the firstcertificate; granting permission, at the security gateway, for the radioaccess device to obtain a second security certificate providing accessto the operator core network; requesting, at the security gateway, onbehalf of the radio access device, the second security certificate froma second security gateway in the operator core network; sending, at thesecurity gateway, the second security certificate to the radio accessdevice using the first encrypted tunnel; and tearing down the firstencrypted tunnel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a prior art security architecture for base station certificateenrollment.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary network architecture diagram, in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a certificate provisioning sequence diagram, in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is an another exemplary network architecture diagram, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a subsystems communication diagram, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 6 is a subsystems communication diagram, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 7 is a subsystems communication diagram, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 8 is a subsystems communication diagram, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 9 is a subsystems communication diagram, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 10 is a subsystems communication diagram, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 11 is a schematic architecture diagram of an exemplary coordinatingserver, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a schematic architecture diagram of an exemplary enhancedeNodeB, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofvarious configurations of the subject matter and is not intended torepresent the only configurations in which the subject technology may bepracticed. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitutea part of the detailed description. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof the subject technology. However, it will be clear and apparent tothose skilled in the art that the subject technology is not limited tothe specific details. In some instances, well-known structures andcomponents are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuringthe concept of the subject technology.

Overview

Within an LTE Mobile Network, an eNodeB is typically provisioned with aFactory Signed Digital Certificate. And the eNodeB authenticates itselfwith the operator's RA/CA using CMP protocol. The CMP protocol messagesmay be exchanged with the RA/CA over using OpenSSL, TCP-messagingprotocol on top of TCP, HTTP, TCP-messaging over HTTP, FTP, SMTP, POP,etc., each one uses a different port number. Therefore, the base stationneed to open multiple ports while receiving an OPERATIONAL certificatefrom the mobile packet core (MPC) of different operators. For example,using CMP over SSH for obtaining operational certificate from RA/CAusing traditional method would require SSH and CMP ports to be openedboth at the RA/CA and the eNodeB. The need of opening multiple portstherefore increases the security risk to the radio access network and/orthe mobile packet core network.

In most prior art networks, base stations are set up rarely, and areconfigured manually. However, in certain cases it may be desirable toenable base stations to be configured automatically, such that a portionof the configuration is done at the factory (which may be manual orautomated or a combination) and a portion is done automatically in thefield using configuration instructions stored on the base station whenit is activated. Another characteristic of most prior art networks isthat it may be desirable for a base station to be virtualized and hiddenfrom the operator core network. In such a case, the operator corenetwork may have limited or no information about the base station.However, this case makes it difficult for the base station to properlyacquire authentication certificates.

In a Virtualized Distributed Radio Access Network (RAN) a collection ofAccess Cells handles User Equipment (UE) connectivity via a securetunnel to a Virtualized SeGW. The virtualized nature of the RANabstracts the complex Access Network architecture from the Mobile PacketCore (MPC) Network and presents itself as a monolithic Access Cell.Before Access Cells may begin to transport UE signaling and data trafficto the MPC Packet, the Access Cell node may be required to beauthenticated, authorized before a secure encrypted IPsec tunnel withthe MPC may be established. Authentication and authorization areimplemented via the use of X.509 Digital Certificates.

The goal of the Access Network is to provision Access Cells ingeographically dispersed locations in order to provide maximum coverage.In order to access the certificate enrollment functionality provided bythe RA/CA nodes which exist within the operator's secure network, ameans of establishing a secure tunnel into the operator's network priorto being provisioned with Operational Digital Certificates is required.The operator's SeGW should be able to authenticate the Access Cell whichis being provisioned in the field. A seamless, secure method which doesnot require manual intervention from an installer is required.

As mentioned in this disclosure, the base station or eNodeB, installedwith only FACTORY certificate, when first powered on, the base stationneeds to get the OPERATIONAL certificate from the RA/CA of the MPC.Instead of using CMP over TLS or SSH or SSL, when the base station firstpowered on, it establishes the IPSec tunnel using IKEv2 with thecoordinating server. The coordinating server may act as a proxy orgateway between the base station and the RA/CA. The IPSec tunnelestablished between the base station and the coordinating server is ableto carry different kinds of traffic securely between them withoutopening many different kinds of ports for different protocol messagesbeing exchanged between the base station and the coordinating server.For example, port number 4500 may be opened for IPSec tunnel between thebase station and the coordinating server. The IPSec tunnel onceestablished would be able to carry IKEv2 and ESP data traffic withoutopening additional ports at the base station or the coordinating server.IKEv2 is a IPSec control protocol and uses port number 4500. ESP is adata path and data packets are characterized by protocol type number 51.In addition, the IPSec tunnel established between the base station andthe coordinating server, while the base station only has FACTORYcertificate may allow traffic only from certain IP address and portnumber via traffic selectors. For example, the coordinating server mayallow or forward only CMP traffic from the base station to thecoordinating server that arrives via the IPSec tunnel to the RA/CA ofthe MPC. All other kind of traffic may be blocked until OPERATIONALcertificate is issued by the RA/CA. The IPSec tunnel established usingthe FACTORY certificate and the IPSec tunnel established using theOPERATIONAL certificate may use the same port number 4500. Therefore, noother port needs to be opened either on the base station or thecoordinating server. This brings the benefit of decrease in securityrisk from opening many different ports. The base station may beconnected to multiple mobile opertor's core network and may thereforerequire connecting to RA/CA of multiple mobile operator's core network.The need for opening multiple ports to connect to RA/CA of multiple corenetwork significantly increases the security risks to the base stationand the radio access network or the mobile core network. Therefore,establishing the priming tunnel between the base station and thecoordinating server using a single port provides security to the basestation and the radio access network and mobile core network. Thecoordinating server already enjoys the trusted connection relationshipto the RA/CA in the MPC and therefore may act as a proxy or gatewayauthenticating the base stations, where the base stations only haveFACTORY certificate. An ability to use the single port for an IPSectunnel, primary and operational, between the base station and thecoordinating server is the key here. The other approaches for exampleusing secure transport has a drawback that it offers only managed filetransfer capability and therefore is limited in the functionality orcapability it offers. The IPSec tunnel once established between the basestation and the coordinating server allows the provisioning of the basestation securely and remotely from the coordinating server the IPSectunnel. Similarly, using self-signed certificate for CA based PKI systemhas a drawback that certificate cannot be revoked. However, using theIPSec tunnel between the base station and the coordinating server doesnot limit the type of protocol that may be carried through the tunneland is completely configurable by traffic selectors by the operator ofthe MPC. While different schemes for certificate enrollment exist suchas SCEP, CMP, etc., these schemes do not support end to end security anddo not support any other functionality except certificate management.Each scheme of certificate enrollment and management e.g., SCEP and CMPare operable using different port number. Thus, using SCEP and CMP forall available functionality and probable flows, the base station and thecoordinating server may need to open multiple ports, thereby increasingsecurity risk to the base station and the coordinating server. Contrary,the use of IPSec tunnel for certificate enrollment and receivingoperational certificate offers end to end security using only a singleport.

In a typical radio access network, base stations in the radio accessnetwork required secured backhaul connection to the mobile operator'score network. This requires the base station pre-provisioned with apublic-private key pair by the vendor, and also have the vendor signedcertificate of its public key pre-installed. On initial contact to theoperator's network the base station establishes a communication channelto the RA/CA of the operator. The base station sends a request forcertificate using certificate management protocol (CMP) version 2(CMPv2). The network authenticates the messages from the base stationbased on the vendor-signed certificate of the base station and thevendor root certificate pre-installed in the network. The base stationmay check the integrity of the protection on the messages from the RA/CAbased on the operator root certificate provisioned in the base station.The RA/CA sends to the base operator-signed certificate in response tothe request for certificate sent from the base station. During theexecution of the CMPv2 protocol for receiving operator-signedcertificate, private keys associated to the public keys are exchangedover unsecured network. Additionally, base stations may not be installedwith vendor-signed certificate and may require manual intervention.

A solution is presented in this disclosure whereby an access cell or abase station in a radio access network (RAN) may securely communicatewith the mobile operator's core network via an encrypted IPSec Tunnelwithout manual intervention in-order to enroll with an RA/CA and obtainan X.509 digital Certificate to be used to join the operator's networkand integrate with the mobile operator's core network or mobile packetcore (MPC).

Parallel Wireless's product portfolio includes HetNet Gateway (HNG)™ toorchestrate and manage the Radio Access Network (RAN) across multipletechnologies, including 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi, with high ease of use. Thecenterpiece of the Parallel Wireless solution is the HetNet Gateway,which is the wireless industry's first carrier-grade, high-performanceRAN orchestrator that is based on software-defined networking (SDN) andnetwork functions virtualization (NFV), and is 100 percent compliantwith all open and standard interfaces as defined by the 3rd GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP). The Parallel Wireless HNG virtualizes theRAN interfaces to manage the 4G and 3G (Long Term Evolution, or LTE, anduniversal mobile telecommunications system, or UMTS) RANs (HomeNodeBs/NodeBs and eNodeBs/HeNodeBs) in real-time via multi-technologyself-organizing network (SON) and gateway functionality whileabstracting RAN changes from the core network and the core networkitself from the RAN. The Parallel Wireless HNG virtualizes thousands ofbase stations to look like a smaller number of virtualized “boomercells” to the core. The Parallel Wireless HNG also virtualizes radionetwork nodes such as Wi-Fi access points (APs), eNodeBs and NodeBs andmakes them self-configurable, self-adjustable, and self-healing, helpingwith initial installation and ongoing maintenance. The Parallel WirelessHNG acts like a virtual radio network controller (vRNC or virtual RNC)for multi-RAT network handling resources for different technologies 3G,LTE/4G and Wi-Fi while optimizing call processing towards radio and corenetwork elements such as the mobile switching center (MSC), servingglobal packet radio system (GPRS) support node (SGSN), gateway GPRSsupport node (GGSN), evolved packet core (EPC) for 4G, home subscriberserver (HSS), and policy charging and rules function (PCRF). The HNG mayalso be referred as a coordinating server, or a gateway server in thisdisclosure.

In an LTE network, the HetNet Gateway (Parallel Wireless HNG) nodelogically sits between the eNodeBs and the MNO Evolved Packet Cores(EPCs) or mobile packet core (MPC). It orchestrates thousands of basestations to look like a single one to the MNO packet core. The ParallelWireless HNG virtualizes the radio network resources such as eNodeBs andbackhaul and makes them self-configurable and self-adjustable. It actsas HeNBGW and vRAN/virtual eNB. It allows plug and play operation of CWSnodes and mesh backhaul, and allows them to form an ad hoc network asthe nodes come in to the network and leave.

In accordance with some embodiments, the coordinating server mayvirtualize all the cells connected on an access side and presents itselfas a large macro eNodeB towards a mobile operator's core network. Thismethod of virtualization may be made possible by assigning a twenty-bitmacro eNodeB ID, that is advertised towards the core network, and eachcell or base station that may connect to the coordinating server may beassigned a twenty-eight-bit E-UTRAN Cell Identifier (ECI). ECI assignedto each cell or base station may have most significant twenty bits sameas macro eNodeB ID assigned to the coordinating server. In essence, eachcell on the radio access network side may be like a sector of a largemacro. As ECI is a total of twenty-eight bits and the macro eNodeB ID istwenty bits, there may be a total of 255 cells that may be representedby the coordinating server as a large macro eNodeB to the core network,in some embodiments. A coordinating server therefore may appear as onelarge macro eNodeB, referred in this disclosure as a virtual eNodeB(VeNB), virtualizing up to 255 different Cell ID base stations to thecore network. Because of the virtualization of the of the access cells,identification and authentication of the access cell with the RA/CA inthe MPC becomes difficult.

In accordance with some embodiments, the base station may be located ina first security domain and the core network security server may be in asecond security domain and the security gateway proxy (or B2BUA orgateway or NAT server, etc.) functions as a gateway between the twosecurity domains.

In accordance with some embodiments, the base station may be pre-loadedwith a factory certificate for authenticating itself in the firstsecurity domain to a first security server, which may be the securitygateway proxy itself. The base station may contain instructions forobtaining a second certificate, an operational certificate, forauthenticating itself in the second security domain (the operatorsecurity domain). The base station may first authenticate itself withthe first security server using a first authenticated credential, thefactory/vendor certificate, which may be unique to the base station. Insome embodiments the station is limited to certain actions whenauthenticating with this certificate. The base station may be preloadedwith information for identifying the first security server, such as aDNS name or address for identifying the security server. The basestation may then set up an encrypted tunnel with the first securityserver using the first authenticated credential. The first securityserver may traverse the gateway to the operator certificate server inthe second security domain to obtain automatically a second certificateto be used to authenticate with the operator security gateway in thesecond security domain. The equipment manufacturer has access to thefirst security certificate at the factory and potentially the firstsecurity server, but need not have access or control over the secondsecurity certificate or the second security server or the secondsecurity domain.

The base station may then set up a second encrypted tunnel using thesecond security certificate for authentication. Encryption of tunnelsmay be encrypted using session keys that are negotiated between the basestation and the security gateway in a particular security domain and maytherefore automate the process of enrolling of the base station in theMPC of the operator.

In some embodiments the base station may be virtualized behind a RANvirtualization gateway, which is a gateway that hides the base stationfrom the core network by acting like a proxy and back to back gateway.The base station may be enabled to obtain security certificates by usingthe RAN virtualization gateway as a gateway to access the core network.This provides the benefits of virtualization, specifically, being ableto scale to an arbitrary number of base stations, while also providingthe benefits of improved automation for certificate delivery withoutmanual certificate configuration for each base station.

In some embodiments, during the factory provisioning phase of an AccessCell, a unique vendor supplied Digital Certificate (known as the FactoryDigital Certificate) is installed on the element. This certificateallows for the establishment of an IPsec tunnel with the operator's SeGWnode. Upon field provisioning of the Access Cell, the system may beconfigured to establish said IPsec tunnel with the SeGW using theFactory Digital Certificate. This secure IPsec tunnel utilizing theFactory Digital Certificate can then be used for restrictedcommunication with the operator's private and protected RA/CAinfrastructure.

In some embodiments, the Factory Digital Certificate which is utilizedduring the field provisioning phase is not part of the sameauthentication/authorization space as that of Operational DigitalCertificates which are issued by the Mobile Network Operator (MNO) foraccess to the MPC. In other words, the RA/CA servers in the MPC usedwhile the base station has a FACTORY certificate and while the basestation has an OPERATIONAL certificate may be different. The FACTORYcertificate pre-installed on the base station may be based on thehardware characteristics of the base station or the radio access devicesuch as a femto cell, macro cell, or a wireless access gateway. TheFACTORY certificate may not depend on the type of the mobile packet core(MPC) the base station or the radio access device may be attempting gainfull access. The hardware characteristics that may be provided in theFACTORY certificate may be for example a hardware identifier of theradio interface card. The information about the hardware identifier ofthe radio interface card populated in the FACTORY certificate may beused by the coordinating server for authentication purpose.

The SeGW node utilized for access to the MPC may therefore provide IPsectermination points which can authenticate the Factory DigitalCertificate as well as the Operational Digital Certificates to beutilized by remote Access Cells. The SeGW IPsec endpoint shouldtherefore be able to authenticate Factory Digital Certificates issued toAccess Nodes.

In some embodiments, in order for a field provisioning IPsec tunnel tobe established as mentioned in above, both peers may authenticate theother utilizing the Factory Digital Certificates. Once established theAccess Cell has a secure encrypted IPsec tunnel into the MPC. At thispoint the Access Cell is utilizing a restricted IPsec tunnel. Therestricted IPsec tunnel which is based upon the Factory DigitalCertificate is configured such that the IPsec defined Traffic Selectorswithin the Security Policy Database (SPD) may allow traffic from theAccess Cell to the RA/CA nodes within the operator's MPC. RFC 7296defines the negotiation of Traffic Selectors via Internet Key Exchange(IKE) version 2 (IKEv2) for IPsec/ESP tunnels. RFC 4301 and RFC 4303define the SPD utilized for maintaining Traffic Selectors for individualIPsec ESP Security Associations.

IKEv2 is used for security key exchange to set up a security associationin the IPSec protocol suite. The security association may be establishedbetween two network entities to support secure communication. The twonetwork entities may be a base station and a coordinating server, whichare attempting to establish a secure tunnel between them in order to getthe OPERATIONAL certificate. The negotiation between the base stationand the coordinating server may occur using Diffie-Hellman key exchange.The actual keys are not exchanged between the network entities, butnegotiations are performed between the network entities, the basestation and the coordinating server, to generate keys that may be thenused to encrypt the traffic according to IPSec protocol.

Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) protocol is used to provideconfidentiality, data origin authentication, connectionless integrity,and limited traffic flow confidentiality, and used to establish a datatunnel between the base station and the coordinating server. Once IKEand ESP data tunnel are established between the base station and thecoordinating server, IPSec restricted access selectors are applied whenthe coordinating server determines that the certificate presented by thebase station is only a FACTORY certificate and no OPERATIONALcertificate is obtained by the base station. The coordinating serverwhile the base station only has FACTORY certificate, allows traffic onlyfrom certain well-known ports related to CMP, SECP, and OCSP protocolsto allow the base station to receive an OPERATIONAL certificate. Oncethe base station receives the OPERATIONAL certificate, the initial IPSectunnel, referenced in this disclosure as a priming tunnel or a firstencrypted tunnel, may be torn down and new IPSec tunnel may beestablished between the base station and the coordinating. The new IPSectunnel, also may be referenced as a second encrypted tunnel, between thebase station and the coordinating server may be established using theOPERATIONAL certificate, and therefore there may be no restriction onthe traffic flowing between the base station and the coordinatingserver. The coordinating server, sitting between the base station, afemto cell, a macro cell, or a wireless access gateway attempting togain the full access to the mobile packet core of the operator may actas a proxy or gateway to the MPC. The coordinating server therefore maybe able to act as a gateway or a proxy to the base stations, femtocells, macro cells, or wireless access gateways managed or virtualizedby the coordinating server.

In some embodiments, utilizing the established field provisioning IPsectunnel described above, the Access Cell can communicate with the RA/CAwithin the MPC. The Access Cell may be configured to use a Shared Secretor a Factory Digital Certificate to authenticate with the RA/CA. Via theFactory supplied Digital Certificate, the Access Cell is able toestablish a trust relationship. Once trust relationship is established,the Access Cell may be able to enroll with the RA/CA and obtain anOperational Digital Certificate. Thereby, the purpose of the fieldprovisioning IPsec Tunnel has been served. In order to obtainoperational access to the MPC the Access Cell should now terminate thefield provisioning IPsec Tunnel and establish an operational IPsecTunnel utilizing the newly obtained Operational Digital Certificate withthe operator's SeGW in order to be able to integrate with the operator'sMPC and provide services.

In some embodiments, the Operational IPsec Tunnel established as aresult allows complete access to the operator's MPC enabling signalingand data plane traffic to flow from the Access Cell to MPC entities,thus providing cellular services to UE elements.

In some embodiments, in the event that an Access Cell reboots, as longas the Operational Digital Certificate is still valid, the fieldprovisioning phase for obtaining an Operational Digital Certificate maynot be executed. In the event that the Operational Digital Certificateis invalid, as long as the Factory Certificate is still valid, the fieldprovisioning phase which invokes RA/CA enrollment may be repeated and inessence perform a re-enrollment. This allows the operator to determine asecurity policy. The validity of the Factory Digital Certificate may beestablished such that the given Access Cell has a limited time frame inwhich it can be successfully deployed. Alternatively, the FactoryDigital Certificate may be set for an extended period of time, allowingthe Access Cell to be taken off-line for long durations after which theenrollment process for connectivity to the operator's MPC may beperformed anew.

In some embodiments, the number of attempts to retrieve the OperationalDigital Certificate may be limited to an operator specified configurableoption. In some embodiments, the Factory Digital Certificate may beprovisioned to expire after an operator or vendor specified time period.

During steady-state operation during which the Access Cell hasauthenticated to the operator's MPC with the Operational DigitalCertificate, communication with the operator's RA/CA is available. Thisallows for the Access Cell to invoke certificate renewal functions suchas renewal and validation as defined via PKI operations.

In some embodiments, a sub-system may provide and/or implement PublicKey Infrastructure (PKI) functionality. The PKI functionality mayutilize Certificate Management Protocol (CMP), Online Certificate StatusProtocol, and Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP). Otherprotocols may be supported. The PKI sub-system may support CertificateRevocation Lists (CRL) and may be based on X.509v3 certificatestandards. Public Key Cryptography Standard #12 (PKCS #12) and possiblyPrivacy Enhanced Mail (PEM) as well as Distinguished Encoding Rules(DER) may be utilized for certificate/key encoding. The PKI sub-systemimplementation may comply with 3GPP TS 33.310 Release 10 or later.

In some embodiments, a PKI sub-system may be required at thecoordinating server and the base station to allow for the coordinatingserver node to authenticate base stations when a base station joins theSelf Organizing Network Mesh (SON), in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, a software module running in parallel with othersoftware modules on top of an operating system may be implemented toprovide support for the aforementioned PKI standard protocols andformats. Each such module may be called a UniTask. A CertMgr UniTask maybe responsible for communication with the operator's CertificateAuthority to perform authentication of peer certificates, renewals ofcertificates, etc. The CertMgr may notify subscribers to the CertMgr ofupdates, revocations, etc. A DHCPMgr UniTask on the base station maymanage the routing and interface configuration within the SON ecosystem.The DHCPMgr may be notified by the CertMgr of updates. The DHCPMgr maybe responsible for coordinating the actions of other sub-systems such asan IPsecMgr UniTask and a WiFiMgr UniTask, in some embodiments. TheCertMgr UniTask may act as a local node server for other UniTasks withinthe given sub-system eco-system (i.e. the coordinating server or thebase station).

In some embodiments, the CertMgr may listen for certificate managementprotocol (CMP), online certificate status protocol (OSCP), and simplecertificate enrollment protocol (SCEP) communication on the “localhost”node address, and the IPsecMgr and the WiFiMgr may be configured to useCMP, OCSP, and SCEP services provided by the CertMgr on localhost. Insome embodiments, the IPsecMgr may retain certain certificateverification functionality and may use it to provide IKEv2 tunnelestablishment functionality. In some embodiments, the CertMgr mayprovide caching proxy functionality for PKI authentication, includingCMP, OCSP and SCEP.

In some embodiments, the CertMgr may provide one or more of thefollowing functions: communicating with the configured operator'sCertificate Management System (CMS)/Certificate Authority (CA); managingthe CA Certificate; managing the given End Entity (the coordinatingserver or the base station) certificate; caching CRLs obtained from theCA; caching Peer Certificates (i.e. IPsec IKEv2 Peers as well as WiFiWPA2 Peers); checking Peer Certificates for Revocation; renewing thegiven End Entity (SeGW/coordinating server or base station) certificate;signaling sub-systems (i.e. the IPsecMgr and the WiFiMgr) when variouscrypto operations need to be performed (examples are IKEv2re-authentication when a certificate is renewed, or IKEv2/IPsec tunneltermination upon peer certificate revocation); and providing apublication/subscription service for other consumers (UniTasks) in orderto disseminate certificate events and actions.

Each end entity within the eco-system (i.e. the coordinating server andbase station) may require an X.509v3 based certificate and key. Inaddition, each end entity may store the certificate for the operator'sinternal CA. All said certificates may be kept in persistent storage onthe given end entity.

In some embodiments, an operator may require the use of CertificateRevocation Lists (CRL) and suitable functionality. Certificaterevocation lists are static lists of certificates issued by a given CAwhich have been revoked. The CRL may be stored in the same location asthe end entity certificates and keys. This may therefore vary dependingupon the platform. The CertMgr UniTask may be responsible fordownloading the CRL from the CA. The CertMgr may also be responsible formonitoring the lifetime of the CRL and creating alarms/events forinvalid scenarios involving the CRL. A shortage of storage for a CRL maycause an alarm to be generated. The CertMgr UniTask may maintain thegiven node certificate as well a CRLs for the given operator domain. TheCertMgr may be responsible for maintaining both the Factory Certificateand the Operational Certificate.

PKI Setup at the Coordinating Server

In some embodiments, Initial Bootstrapping of Operational Certificatemay be performed at a network node as follows. The following scenariowould take place when a coordinating server first brought on-line, wherethe coordinating server is a Parallel Wireless HetNet Gateway or othernetwork node located between the radio access network and the corenetwork (in communication with both). In this situation, only theFACTORY certificate exists. After the first OPERATIONAL certificate hasbeen obtained in theory there should never be a gap of time in which novalid OPERATIONAL certificate for the coordinating server exists.

The DHCPMgr queries the CertMgr via IPC for active certificate; theCertMgr replies with FACTORY certificate (no OPERATIONAL exists).

The CertMgr initiates SCEP to CMS to obtain OPERATIONAL Certificate.

The CertMgr instructs the DHCPMgr as to success/failure for OPERATIONALCertificate status.

The DHCPMgr instructs the IPsecMgr to initiate IPsec server withOPERATIONAL certificate if successfully obtained.

The DHCPMgr sets timer to automatically retry SCEP if no OPERATIONALcertificate was obtained.

SECP Update of Certificate

In some embodiments, the OPERATIONAL certificate may be valid for aperiod specified by the operator of the MPC. The CertMgr may be requiredto perform an update of the OPERATIONAL certificate when a given widowof time is entered before the certificate is set to expire. Upon startupthe CertMgr may receive a configuration which indicates what the windowis for the certificate update. The CertMgr may establish a timer to firewhen the window is entered. The CertMgr may event upon successful updateof the OPERATIONAL certificate. The CertMgr may alarm upon failure of anupdate of the OPERATIONAL certificate.

In some embodiments, upon failure, the CertMgr may continue to attemptto update the OPERATIONAL certificate until the current certificatefails to be valid and communication with the operator's network isterminated.

In some embodiments, upon successful update of the certificate, theCertMgr may deprecate the current certificate but maintain it inpersistent storage. This may be done for only the most recentlydeprecated certificate.

In some embodiments, upon successful update of the certificate, theCertMgr may instruct the IPsecMgr to execute an IKE_AUTHre-authentication with all peers so as to initiate usage of the newcertificate.

In some embodiments, the CertMgr may maintain a data structure of allactive peer certificates. Each IPsec tunnel may utilize a certificatefor authentication. In addition, each WiFi backhaul link may utilize thesame certificate to authenticate the back-haul peer. The CertMgr mayregularly audit the list of peer certificates, and may terminate anIPsec tunnel on failure of OCSP or CRL validation.

OSCP Validation of Certificate

In some embodiments, the IPSecMgr may first send IPSec TunnelEstablishment request to the CertMgr to establish an IKE/IPSec tunnelwith a given peer. The IPSecMgr notifies the CertMgr of the peer'sdistinguished name (DN). The CertMgr registers peer's DN and thenutilizes OSCP and/or a CRL to monitor the status of the peer'scertificate. The CertMgr instructs the IPSecMgr to establish IPSecTunnel by sending IPSec Tunnel Establishment response. The CertMgr maysend certificate status request message over OSCP to CertificateAuthority (CA) in the MPC to validate the certificate and may wait forcertificate status response for peer DN over OSCP from CA. In the case,the certificate status response for peer DN from CA indicates that thecertificate has been revoked, the CertMgr then notifies the IPSecMgr ofthe said revocation and the IPSecMgr would then terminate the connectionwith the peer.

CRL Update

In some embodiments, the CertMgr may maintain a certificate revocationlist (CRL) for the given operator's domain. The CRL may be utilized inthe situation in which the certificate management system (CMS) OSCPserver is unavailable. In some embodiments, the CRL may be preferredover OSCP protocol. The CertMgr may perform the following for CRLupdate.

In some embodiments, the CRL will be updated from the CMS on a regularbasis as specified by the user or operator of the radio access networkor MPC. In some embodiments, a time may be established to fetch the mostrecent CRL. The interval at which this is retrieved from the CMS may beconfigurable by the operator.

In some embodiments, an alarm may be generated when fetching of the CRLresults fails. In some embodiments, when fetching of CRL fails,previously fetched CRL may be used. In some embodiments, the CRL may bestored in persistent storage. In some other embodiments, CRL may bemaintained or stored in memory. In some embodiments, the CRL may bestored in memory due to inadequate persistent storage and alarm may begenerated in this instance.

Peer Certificate Maintenance

In some embodiments, the CertMgr may maintain a data structure of allactive peer certificates. Each IPsec tunnel may utilize a certificatefor authentication. In addition, each WiFi backhaul link may utilize thesame certificate to authenticate the back-haul peer. The CertMgr mayregularly audit the list of peer certificates, and may terminate anIPsec tunnel on failure of OCSP or CRL validation. The peer certificatemaintenance may be achieved as following.

In some embodiments, the IPSecMgr may instruct the CertMgr when a newtunnel is established and may inform the CertMgr of the peercertificate.

In some embodiments, the IPSecMgr may instruct the CertMgr when a tunnelis terminated with a peer such that the CertMgr can remove thecertificate from its database of active peer certificates. The databasemay be external database or may be an in-memory database.

In some embodiments, command line interface may be provided to query anddisplay the certificates of IPSec peers.

In some embodiments, the CertMgr may regularly audit the list of peercertificates and perform an OSCP or CRL check for each. Upon failure ofOSCP or CRL verification, the security gateway or the coordinatingserver may terminate IPSec tunnel to the peer. The audit interval may beconfigured at the coordinating server by the operator of the MPC orradio access network. This configuration may also be pushed to the basestation. The base station's initial configuration file may contain aconfigurable option to allow overriding of the interval.

Base Station PKI Setup

In some embodiments, Initial Bootstrapping of Operational Certificatemay be performed at another network node as follows. The followingscenario would take place when a base station was first brought on-line,where the base station may be a Parallel Wireless Converged WirelessSystem or other radio access network (RAN) base station or network node.The base station may be an eNodeB, a Wi-Fi mesh network node, or anothercellular base station or wireless local area network access point, orboth, e.g., a multi-radio access network (multi-RAT) node. The basestation identifies the coordinating server using hard-coded IP addressor the hard-coded fully qualified domain name (FQDN) at the basestation. The base station may be in communication with the coordinatingserver hard-coded either as a IP address or a FQDN at the base station.

The following scenario would take place when the base station is firstbrought on-line. In this situation, only the FACTORY certificate exists.After the first OPERATIONAL certificate has been obtained there should,in theory, never be a gap of time in which no valid OPERATIONALcertificate for the base station exists. The following occurs during thePKI setup at the base station.

In some embodiments, after obtaining WAN IP Address, the DHCPMgr queriesthe CertMgr via IPC for active certificate; the CertMgr replies withFACTORY certificate (no OPERATIONAL exists).

The DHCPMgr instructs the IPsecMgr to start IPsec tunnel to SeGW usingFACTORY certificate.

The IPsecMgr queries the CertMgr for current certificate and the CertMgrreplies with FACTORY certificate.

The IPsecMgr establishes tunnel to coordinating server or the SeGW withFACTORY certificate.

The IPsecMgr instructs the DHCPMgr that tunnel is established.

The IPsecMgr instructs the CertMgr that tunnel is established.

The CertMgr initiates CMP to CMS Proxy i.e. the coordinating server toobtain OPERATIONAL Certificate (uses IAK).

The CertMgr instructs the DHCPMgr as to success/failure for OPERATIONALCertificate status.

The DHCPMgr instructs the IPsecMgr to terminate tunnel establishedearlier using FACTORY certificate.

The DHCPMgr instructs the IPsecMgr to initiate OPERATIONAL tunnel ifOPERATIONAL certificate has been successfully obtained.

The IPsecMgr queries the CertMgr for current certificate and the CertMgrreplies with OPERATIONAL certificate.

In some embodiments, the DHCPMgr sets timer to retry with FACTORYcertificate if no OPERATIONAL certificate was obtained.

The port used for the priming tunnel or the first encrypted tunnelestablished between the base station and the coordinating server usingFACTORY certificate, and the port used for the operational tunnel or thesecond encrypted tunnel established between the base station and thecoordinating server using the OPERATIONAL certificate is same. Thus,only single port needs to be opened between the base station and thecoordinating server, thereby reducing the security risk both at the basestation and the coordinating server.

Post Factory Bootstrapping with Operational Certificate

In some embodiments, for post Factory Bootstrapping with OperationalCertificate, when the base station has already obtained its OPERATIONALcertificate, the FACTORY certificate is no longer in use. The DHCPMgrmay determine that the OPERATIONAL certificate is active and in use, andthe DHCPMgr may orchestrate the start of the IKE/IPsec tunnel with theIPsecMgr. This may be achieved as described below.

In some embodiments, the DHCPMgr after obtaining WAN IP address, sendscertificate type request to the CertMgr. The CertMgr responds with thecertificate type response as OPERATIONAL certificate. The DHCPMgr maythen instruct the IPSecMgr to initiate IPSec Tunnel establishment bysending IPSec Tunnel Start Request using OPERATIONAL certificate andenter into steady state mode. The IPSecMgr queries The CertMgr forcurrent certificate and upon receiving current certificate asOPERATIONAL certificate from the CertMgr, the IPSecMgr establishes IPSecTunnel and updates the DHCPMgr by sending IPSec Tunnel Start response.In some embodiments, the DHCPMgr then instructs the CertMgr to startcertificate management for validation and updates. The CertMgr may thenenable CMP and OCSP timers in renewing the end entity certificate aswell as verifying the certificates of any WiFi Backhaul peers and thesecurity gateway or coordinating server.

CMP Update of Certificate and Re-Authentication

In some embodiments, when the CertMgr has determined that its end entityOPERATIONAL certificate is set to expire, it may re-authenticate. Theconfigured window for expiration has been entered. The CertMgr initiatesa CMP renewal operation with the CMS. Upon receiving the newcertificate, the CertMgr communicates the availability of the newcertificate to the DHCPMgr which initiates an IKE/IPsec tunnelre-authentication. The CertMgr raises an event to notify thecoordinating server that the end entity certificate has beenrenewed/replaced. This may be achieved as described below.

In some embodiments, the CertMgr connects to CMS to update certificatethat is currently possessed by sending certificate renewal request andreceiving certificate renewal response. Upon successful receipt of thecertificate renewal request, the CertMgr may send certificate updaterequest to the DHCPMgr. The DHCPMgr may send IPSec Re-authenticationrequest to the IPSecMgr and the IPSecMgr may query the CertMgr forcertificate request and receive certificate response from the CertMgr.The IPSecMgr may then send IPSec Re-authentication response to theDHCPMgr. The DHCPMgr may then send Certificate Update response to theCertMgr.

In some embodiments, when a base station's peer certificate has beenrevoked, the following steps may occur for OCSP verification. The basestation may invoke OCSP to validate the certificate which it currentlypossesses for the SeGW. This validation fails and the IKE/IPsec tunnelto the SeGW may be terminated by the IPsecMgr. The IPsecMgr notifies theDHCPMgr that the tunnel has been terminated. The IPsecMgr may raise analarm for this event. This may be achieved as described below.

In some embodiments, the CertMgr connects to CMS to update certificatethat is currently possessed by sending certificate renewal request andreceiving certificate renewal response. Upon failed receipt of thecertificate renewal request or indication that the certificate has beenrevoked, the CertMgr may send certificate revocation request to theDHCPMgr. The DHCPMgr may send IPSec Tunnel termination request to theIPSecMgr and the IPSecMgr may then terminate IPSec Tunnel and send IPSecTunnel termination response to the DHCPMgr. The DHCPMgr may then sendCertificate Revocation response to the CertMgr.

In some embodiments, when a base station's peer certificate has beenrevoked, the following steps may occur for OCSP verification. The basestation may invoke OCSP to validate the certificate which is currentlypossessed for the SeGW. This validation fails and the IKE/IPsec tunnelto the SeGW may be terminated by the IPsecMgr. The IPsecMgr may notifythe DHCPMgr that the tunnel has been terminated. The IPsecMgr may raisean alarm for this event.

FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a prior art security architecture for base station certificateenrollment. The elements of this security architecture are a basestation 101, a registration authority/certificate authority (RA/CA) 102and a security gateway 103 as described in 3GPP TS 33.310. The RA/CA 102may be pre-installed with vendor root certificate as shown in 104. Thesecurity gateway 103 may be pre-installed with root certificate as shownin 105. The base station 101 may be pre-provisioned with apublic-private key pair by the vendor, and may have the vendor-signedcertificate of its public key pre-installed as shown in 106. On initialcontact to the operator network, the base station 101 may establish acommunication channel to the RA/CA 102 of the operator. Thecommunication channel between the base station 101 and the RA/CA 102 isover certificate management protocol (CMP) version 2 (CMPv2). The basestation 101 sends request for the certificate to RA/CA 102 over CMPv2.RA/CA upon authentication of the request sent by the base station 101using pre-installed vendor-signed certificate of the base station andthe vendor-root certificate pre-installed in the network as shown in107. The base station 101 may check the integrity of the messagesreceived from RA/CA 102 based on the operator root certificateprovisioned in the base station. The RA/CA 102 may send the operatorsigned certificate to the base station 101 as shown in 107. During thisexecution, the base station 101 communicates to the RA/CA 102 usingCMPv2 protocol over unsecured network. The base station 101 providesproof of possession of private key associated to the public key to becertified over unsecured network. The base station 101 after enrollmentwith RA/CA 102 may use the operator-signed certificate received fromRA/CA 102 to authenticate itself to the security gateway 103 andestablishes IPSec tunnel for secured communication as shown in 108. Asdescribed, the steps mentioned above requires that the base station tocommunicate to the MPC over unsecured network, and the process mayrequire manual steps and may not be simple plug-n-play operation.

The solution described in this disclosure brings benefits ofcommunication over a secure network, automation of IPSec tunnel creationusing PKI setup at the MPC and only limited access until fulloperational certificate is received from the RA/CA of the MPC. The basestation pre-installed with FACTORY certificate may only have limitedaccess.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary network architecture diagram in accordance withsome embodiments. The base stations eNodeB1 201, eNodeB2 202, andeNodeB3 202 may be located at geographically dispersed located in radioaccess network (RAN). Further the base stations 201, 202, and 203 may bevirtualized cells and may be managed by a virtualization or securitygateway server 205. The base stations 201, 202, and 203, and thevirtualization or security gateway server 205 may communicate overunsecured backhaul 204. The virtualization or security gateway server205 may also be referred as a coordinating server 205 or a gateway 205in this disclosure. The coordinating server 205 is sitting between thebase stations 201, 202, and 203, also referred to as access cells 201,202, and 203 in this disclosure, and mobile packet core (MPC) of theoperator. The MPC of the operator may have RA/CA 206, mobilitymanagement entity (MME) 207, and serving gateway(SGW)/packet datanetwork gateway (PGW) 208. The MPC may have other elements as well notshown in the figure. The SGW and PGW are shown collocated here as shownin the figure, but may be separate entities in the MPC and notcollocated. The base stations 201, 202, 203 may be a multi-RAT node andsupport 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi, WiMax, a Long Term Evolution (LTE), or anLTE-Advanced (LTE-A). All eNodeBs described herein may be in a mixed 3G,4G, 5G, or other network access technology network. All eNodeBsdescribed herein may also be 3G nodeBs or 5G gNodeBs, as appropriate.The described security infrastructure is appropriate for a variety ofnetwork architectures involving a security server behind a securitygateway.

FIG. 3 is a certificate provisioning sequence diagram in accordance withsome embodiments. As shown in FIG. 2, the network elements of interesthere are a base station eNodeB 301, a virtualization/security gatewayserver 302 and a RA/CA server 303 in the MPC. The eNodeB 301 is the basestation or access cell earlier identified as base station 201, 202, 203.The virtualization/security gateway server 303 is the coordinatingserver 205 as described in FIG. 2. The RA/CA server 303 is the RA/CAserver 206 in the MPC. As described above, the base station 301 ispre-installed with a vendor-signed FACTORY certificate. The FACTORYcertificate may be used by the base station 301 to authenticate itselfto the coordinating server 302. The FACTORY certificate does not provideaccess to full functionality and access to the MPC. The base station 301is required to obtain an OPERATIONAL certificate in order to gain fullaccess to the MPC and to transport user equipment (UE) signaling anddata traffic to the MPC of the operator. The base station 301 may be ina first security domain and the MPC may be in a different securitydomain. The coordinating server 302 may act as a security gateway proxybetween the base station 301 in a first security domain and the MPC in asecond security domain. The RA/CA 303 of the MPC is therefore in asecond security domain.

In accordance with some embodiments, the base station 301 using theFACTORY certificate authenticates itself to the coordinating server 302.The FACTORY certificate pre-installed on the base station 301 may beunique to the base station 301. The base station 301 may be pre-loadedwith information identifying the coordinating server 302 to be used forauthentication using information such as DNS name or address. The basestation 301 then sets up an encrypted tunnel, shown in the FIG. 3 as apriming tunnel 304, using the FACTORY certificate between the basestation 301 and the coordinating server 302. The priming tunnel 304 maybe established after both the peers, the base station 301 and thecoordinating server 302, authenticates each other. At this point thebase station 301 is utilizing a restricted IPsec priming tunnel 304. Therestricted IPsec priming tunnel 304 which is based upon the FactoryDigital Certificate is configured such that the IPsec defined TrafficSelectors within the Security Policy Database (SPD) may allow trafficfrom the Access Cell to the RA/CA nodes within the operator's MPC onlyas shown in FIG. 3 as 311. RFC 7296 defines the negotiation of TrafficSelectors via IKEv2 for IPsec/ESP tunnels. RFC 4301 and RFC 4303 definethe SPD utilized for maintaining Traffic Selectors for individual IPsecESP Security Associations. RFC 7296, 4301, and 4303 are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

In accordance with some embodiments, utilizing the established fieldprovisioning IPsec priming tunnel 304, the base station may communicatewith the RA/CA within the MPC via the coordinating server as a proxy andsends certification initialization request 305, 306 to the RA/CA via thecoordinating server 302. The base station 301 may be configured to use aShared Secret or a Factory Digital Certificate to authenticate with theRA/CA 303. Via the Factory supplied Digital Certificate, the basestation 301 may be able to establish a trust relationship. Once trustrelationship is established the base station 301 may be able to enrollwith the RA/CA and obtain an Operational Digital Certificate. The RA/CA303 may send the Operational Digital Certificate to the base station 301via the coordinating server 302 acting as a proxy between the basestation 301 in a first security domain and the RA/CA in the MPC in asecond security domain as shown in FIG. 3 as certificate initializationresponse 307.

In accordance with some embodiments, once the purpose of the IPSecpriming tunnel 304 has been served and the base station 301 receives theoperational certificate from the RA/CA 303, the IPSec priming tunnel 304will be torn down as shown in 309 in FIG. 3. The Operational IPsecTunnel 310 may be established between the base station 301 and thecoordinating server 302 that allows complete access to the operator'sMPC enabling signaling and data plane traffic to flow from the basestation 301 to MPC entities such as MME 207, SGW/PGW 208, etc., thusproviding cellular services to user equipments camped on the basestation 301.

FIG. 4 is an another exemplary network architecture diagram inaccordance with some embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 4 showscertificates involved between a base station 401 and a coordinatingserver 402 or a virtualization/security gateway server 402. As describedabove, two different kinds of certificates are involved in theestablishment of IPSec tunnel between the base station 401 or the accesscell 401 and the coordinating server 402. One is vendor-signedcertificate that is mentioned above as FACTORY certificate and second isoperator-signed certificate that is mentioned above as OPERATIONALcertificate. Therefore, the base station 401 may need to supportvendor-signed certificate IPSec Endpoint 401 a and operator-signedcertificate IPSec Endpoint 401 b, which are endpoints for IPSec primingtunnel and IPSec operational tunnel to the coordinating server 402respectively. Endpoint 401 a and endpoint 401 b may be the sameendpoint, in some embodiments, insofar as both the endpoints areaccessed at the same IP and port number of the coordinating server. Thecoordinating server is able to disambiguate the different requests byexamining the incoming request. In some embodiments, the coordinatingserver may use the destination IP, the source IP and/or port, therequest protocol, the request protocol number, or other information inthe request about the destination server to disambiguate. Thecoordinating server may use IKE traffic selectors and information in theFACTORY certificate to disambiguate traffic towards the finaldestination, e.g. RA/CA server. The coordinating node may be proxyingcommunications to an operator security gateway or RA/CA, and may be ableto identify which nodes are in the process of obtaining an operationalcertificate. In some embodiments, network address translation (NAT) maybe performed in addition to proxying, at gateway 402. Likewise, thecoordinating server 402 may need to support vendor-signed certificateIPSec Endpoint 402 a and operator-signed certificate IPSec Endpoint 402b, which are endpoints for IPSec priming tunnel and IPSec operationaltunnel to the base station 401 respectively.

For example, a eNodeB deployed in the radio access network for the firsttime and powered on. Upon power-on, the eNodeB software may look intothe memory areawhere the pre-installed certificate is generally stored.The pre-installed certificate referred to here as a FACTORY certificatemay indicate that the FACTORY certificate is temporary, based on thecertificate's validity. The FACTORY certificate may further haveinformation about the coordinating server which the eNodeB is supposedto contact through hard-coded IP address or FQDN. The base stationattempts to connect to the coordinating server and may exchange keyinformation for authentication using IKE.

Internet Key Exchange (IKE) uses IP port 500 in some configurations,specifically IKEv1, and this may be used in some embodiments. However,typically companies use NAT to reduce the cost of buying more publicIPs, to allow its internal users to access the public Internet. IPsecvirtual private network clients use NAT traversal in order to haveEncapsulating Security Payload (ESP) packets traverse NAT. IPsec usesseveral protocols in its operation which must be enabled to traversefirewalls and network address translators: Internet Key Exchange (IKE)(User Datagram Protocol (UDP) port 500); Encapsulating Security Payload(ESP) (uses IP protocol number 50 over UDP port 4500); AuthenticationHeader (AH) (IP protocol number 51); and IPsec NAT traversal (UDP port4500, when NAT traversal is in use).

NAT is done on the basis of port numbers, where the source port of theinside traffic is mapped to a different port, so that, all the insideusers should be able to access the public Internet with the help of fewpublic IPs. ESP/AH being a L3 protocol doesn't have a port number,rather it has a protocol number (IP 50/51 respectively). So, whiledealing with NATing device in the transit path of the vpn tunnel, toallow that traffic to pass through NAT, ESP/AH packets arere-encapsulated with the port UDP4500, allowing the ESP/AH insidetraffic to successfully pass through tunnel as well as thru NAT, soencryption (traffic thru IPSec tunnel) as well as NATing (hiding theinside IP) is achieved. IKEv2 requires the use of port 4500 and not port500. The end result is that IKEv2 is compatible with opening only port4500.

Continuing on, in some embodiments, during the IKEv2 key negotiation,the coordinating server receives the FACTORY certificate, which containsinformation about the hardware identification of the radio interface ofthe eNodeB. Additionally, the assigned IP address and port numberassigned to the eNodeB by the operator may also be exchanged. The firstIP tunnel is then created. All traffic has been sent and received overUDP port 4500 at the coordinating server, which is able to traverse NATand reduces NAT tracking overhead at any NAT gateway (which may be atthe coordinating server, in some embodiments). The coordinating serverhas been provisioned with the information specific to the base station'sidentity and the core network or RA/CA server that this base station maycontact to obtain the OPERATIONAL certificate. While the base stationonly has a first priming tunnel authenticated using its FACTORYcertificate, the coordinating server may reject all traffic unrelated tocertificate management for obtaining OPERATIONAL certificate, using, forexample, IPsec traffic selectors associated with the first IP tunnel.

Continuing on, in some embodiments, the coordinating server may act as aproxy to contact the RA/CA of the operator based on the informationprovisioned at the coordinating server on behalf of the eNodeB, andobtains the OPERATIONAL certificate from the RA/CA. Once thecoordinating server receives the OPERATIONAL certificate it may thenpass it to the eNodeB over the secured priming tunnel, still over UDPport 4500. eNodeB receives OPERATIONAL certificate, the FACTORYcertificate stored at the eNodeB is replaced by the OPERATIONALcertificate. The existing IPSec tunnel between the eNodeB and thecoordinating server is torn down and a new security association iscreated between the eNodeB and the operator RA/CA, via the coordinatingserver as a proxy, in some embodiments. The coordinating server may nowapply a different profile of IKE traffic selectors giving the eNodeBunrestricted access to the MPC. While the tunnel using FACTORYcertificate is torn down upon receipt of OPERATIONAL certificate, theOPERATIONAL tunnel may use the same endpoint both at the eNodeB and atthe coordinating server. The OPERATIONAL tunnel may continue to use UDPport 4500 for the payload using ESP, facilitating NAT traversal andsecurity at the coordinating server, which is now a security gateway.

FIG. 5 is a subsystems communication diagram in accordance with someembodiments. As mentioned, a software module running in parallel withother software modules on top of an operating system may be implementedto provide support for the aforementioned PKI standard protocols andformats. Each such module may be called a UniTask. FIG. 5 shows thecommunications between UniTasks, a CertMgr 502, an IPSecMgr 501 and aRA/CA 503 in the MPC. The IPSecMgr 501, the CertMgr 502 are UniTasksrunning at the coordinating server 402.

FIG. 5 shows inter-process communication and start-up sequence when thecoordinating server 402 is first brought on-line. The coordinatingserver 402 may have only the FACTORY certificate. However, after thefirst OPERATIONAL certificate has been obtained, there may never be agap of time in which no valid OPERATIONAL certificate of thecoordinating server 402 exists. Once the coordinating server 402 ispowered up and brought on-line, the DHCPMgr (not shown in the figure)queries the CertMgr 502 via IPC for active certificate. The CertMgr 502replies with FACTORY certificate (no OPERATIONAL exists). The CertMgr502 initiates SCEP to CMS or RA/CA 503 to obtain OPERATIONAL Certificateby sending Certificate Request 506 a and receives Certificate Response506 b from RA/CA 503. The CertMgr 502 instructs the DHCPMgr (not shownin the figure) as to success/failure for OPERATIONAL Certificate status.The DHCPMgr instructs the IPsecMgr 501 to initiate IPsec server withOPERATIONAL certificate if successfully obtained from RA/CA 503. TheCertMgr sends certificate update request 507 a to the IPSecMgr 501. TheIPSecMgr 501 establishes IKE/IPSec Tunnels 505 a, 505 b, 505 c over theinternet. In some embodiments, the DHCPMgr sets timer to automaticallyretry SCEP if no OPERATIONAL certificate was obtained.

FIG. 6 is a subsystems communication diagram in accordance with someembodiments. FIG. 6 shows the communications between UniTasks, a CertMgr602, an IPSecMgr 601 and a RA/CA 603 in the MPC. The IPSecMgr 601, theCertMgr 602 are UniTasks running at the coordinating server 602.

FIG. 6 shows inter-process communication and certificate validationsequence at the coordinating server 402. In some embodiments, theIPSecMgr 601 may first send IPSec Tunnel Establishment request 604 a tothe CertMgr 602 to establish an IKE/IPSec tunnel with a given peer. TheIPSecMgr 601 notifies the CertMgr 602 of the peer's distinguished name(DN). The CertMgr registers peer's DN 604 b and then utilizes OSCPand/or a CRL to monitor the status of the peer's certificate. TheCertMgr 602 instructs the IPSecMgr 601 to establish IPSec Tunnel bysending IPSec Tunnel Establishment response 604 c. The CertMgr 602 maysend certificate status request message 604 d over OSCP to CertificateAuthority (CA) 603 in the MPC to validate the certificate and may waitfor certificate status response for peer DN 604 e over OSCP from CA 603.In the case, the certificate status response for peer DN from CAindicates that the certificate has been revoked, the CertMgr thennotifies the IPSecMgr of the said revocation and the IPSecMgr would thenterminate the connection with the peer.

FIG. 7 is a subsystems communication diagram in accordance with someembodiments for Initial Bootstrapping of Operational Certificate at abase station that has been brought on-line for the first time. The basestation may be a Parallel Wireless Converged Wireless System or otherradio access network (RAN) base station or network node. The basestation may be an eNodeB, a Wi-Fi mesh network node, or another cellularbase station or wireless local area network access point, or both, e.g.,a multi-radio access network (multi-RAT) node. The base station may bein communication with the coordinating server. The following scenariowould take place when the base station is first brought on-line. In thissituation, only the FACTORY certificate exists. After the firstOPERATIONAL certificate has been obtained there should, in theory, neverbe a gap of time in which no valid OPERATIONAL certificate for the basestation exists. The following occurs during the PKI setup at the basestation.

In some embodiments, the DHCPMgr 701 after obtaining WAN IP Address, theDHCPMgr 701 queries the CertMgr 703 for certification type request viaIPC for active certificate. The CertMgr 703 replies with FACTORYcertificate (no OPERATIONAL exists). The DHCPMgr 701 instructs theIPsecMgr 702 to start IPsec tunnel to SeGW using FACTORY certificate.The IPsecMgr 702 queries the CertMgr 703 for current certificate and theCertMgr 703 replies with FACTORY certificate. The IPsecMgr 702establishes tunnel to SeGW (not shown in the figure) using FACTORYcertificate. The IPsecMgr 702 instructs the DHCPMgr 701 that tunnel isestablished using FACTORY certificate. The DHCPMgr instructs the CertMgrthat tunnel is established. The CertMgr 703 initiates CMP to CMS Proxyor the coordinating server 402 to obtain OPERATIONAL Certificate (usesIAK). The CertMgr 703 instructs the DHCPMgr 701 as to success/failurefor OPERATIONAL Certificate status. The DHCPMgr 701 instructs theIPsecMgr 702 to terminate tunnel established earlier using FACTORYcertificate. The DHCPMgr 701 instructs the IPsecMgr 702 to initiateOPERATIONAL tunnel if OPERATIONAL certificate successfully obtained. TheIPsecMgr 702 queries the CertMgr 703 for current certificate and theCertMgr 703 replies with OPERATIONAL certificate. The IPSecMgr 702establishes an IPSec Tunnel to the coordinating server 402 usingOPERATIONAL certificate and gains full access to the elements in the MPCof the operator. In some embodiments, the DHCPMgr 701 may set a timer toretry with FACTORY certificate if no OPERATIONAL certificate wasobtained.

FIG. 8 is a subsystems communication diagram in accordance with someembodiments for post factory bootstrapping of Operational Certificate ata base station that no longer has FACTORY certificate. The DHCPMgr 801may determine that the OPERATIONAL certificate is active and in use, andthe DHCPMgr 801 may orchestrate the start of the IKE/IPsec tunnel withthe IPsecMgr 802.

In some embodiments, the DHCPMgr 801 after obtaining WAN IP address,sends certificate type request to the CertMgr 802. The CertMgr 802 mayrespond with the certificate type response as OPERATIONAL certificate.The DHCPMgr 801 may then instruct the IPSecMgr 802 to initiate an IPSecTunnel by sending IPSec Tunnel Start Request using OPERATIONALcertificate and enter into steady state mode. The IPSecMgr 802 may querythe CertMgr 803 for current certificate and upon receiving currentcertificate as OPERATIONAL certificate from the CertMgr 803, theIPSecMgr 802 establishes IPSec Tunnel and updates the DHCPMgr 801 bysending IPSec Tunnel Start response. In some embodiments, the DHCPMgr801 then instructs the CertMgr 803 to start certificate management forvalidation and updates. The CertMgr 803 may then enable CMP and OCSPtimers in renewing the end entity certificate as well as verifying thecertificates of any WiFi Backhaul peers and the security gateway orcoordinating server.

FIG. 9 is a subsystems communication diagram in accordance with someembodiments when the CertMgr 903 has determined that its end entityOPERATIONAL certificate is set to expire, it may need to bere-authenticated. When the configured window for expiration has beenentered, the CertMgr 903 initiates a CMP renewal operation with the CMSor the coordinating server 402. Upon receiving the new certificate, theCertMgr 903 communicates the availability of the new certificate to theDHCPMgr 901 which initiates an IKE/IPsec tunnel re-authentication. TheCertMgr 903 may raise an event to notify the coordinating server 402that the end entity certificate has been renewed/replaced.

In some embodiments, the CertMgr 903 may send certificate update requestto the DHCPMgr 901. The DHCPMgr 901 may send IPSec Re-authenticationrequest to the IPSecMgr 902 and the IPSecMgr 902 may query the CertMgr903 for certificate request and receive certificate response from theCertMgr 903. The IPSecMgr 902 may then send IPSec Re-authenticationresponse to the DHCPMgr 901. The DHCPMgr 901 may then send CertificateUpdate response to the CertMgr 903.

FIG. 10 is a subsystems communication diagram in accordance with someembodiments when the base station 401's peer certificate for thecoordinating server 402 has been revoked. The base station 401 mayinvoke OCSP to validate the certificate which is currently possessed forthe coordinating server and the MPC. If the certificate validationfails, the IKE/IPsec tunnel to the coordinating server 402 is terminatedby the IPsecMgr. The IPsecMgr notifies the DHCPMgr that the tunnel hasbeen terminated. The IPsecMgr alarms on this event. This may be achievedas described below.

In some embodiments, the CertMgr 1003 may connect to the CMS or RA/CA toupdate certificate that is currently possessed by sending certificaterenewal request and receiving certificate renewal response. Upon failedreceipt of the certificate renewal request or indication that thecertificate has been revoked, the CertMgr 1003 may send certificaterevocation request to the DHCPMgr 1001. The DHCPMgr 1001 may send IPSecTunnel termination request to the IPSecMgr 1002 and the IPSecMgr 1002may then terminate IPSec Tunnel and send IPSec Tunnel terminationresponse to the DHCPMgr 1001. The DHCPMgr 1001 may then send CertificateRevocation response to the CertMgr 1003.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a coordinating server in a Long TermEvolution (LTE) architecture, in accordance with some embodiments.Coordinating server 701, also may be referred as a gateway in thisdisclosure, provides services to, and is coupled to, eNodeB 1 1102 andeNodeB 2 1103, on a RAN side of a network (i.e., inside of the gateway).Coordinating server 1101 provides services to, and is coupled to, MME1104, RA/CA 1105, and PGW/SGW 1106, on a core network side of thenetwork (outside of the gateway).

Within coordinating server 1101 are self-organizing network (SON) module1111, containing neighbor relation table (NRT) 1112 and UE measurementreport processing module 1113; evolved packet core (EPC) module 1121,containing EPC finite state machine module 1122 and macro eNodeB table1123; radio access network (RAN) module 1131, containing eNodeB finitestate machine module 1132 and eNodeB table 1134; and user equipment (UE)module 1141, containing UE finite state machine module 1142 and S1/X2handover mapping table 1143. Each of modules 1111, 1121, 1131, and 1141are coupled to each other within coordinating server 1101, and mayexecute on one or more shared processors (not shown) coupled with memory(not shown).

In some embodiments, SON module 1111 may perform NRT maintenance, loadinformation processing and fractional frequency reuse (FFR) processing;RAN module 1131 may perform X2 association management with eNodeBs 1102,1103; EPC module 1121 may perform be in communication with RA/CA 1105and PGW/SGW 1106; and UE module may perform X2 handover and S1/X2translation between eNodeBs 1102, 1103. All the above managers/modulesinteract with each other to accomplish the assigned functionality.

FIG. 12 is an enhanced eNodeB for performing the methods describedherein, in accordance with some embodiments. eNodeB 1200 may includeprocessor 1202, processor memory 1201 in communication with theprocessor, baseband processor 1203, and baseband processor memory 1204in communication with the baseband processor. The eNodeB 1200 may alsoinclude first radio transceiver 1205 and second radio transceiver 1206,internal universal serial bus (USB) port 1208, and subscriberinformation module card (SIM card) 1207 coupled to USB port 1208. Insome embodiments, the second radio transceiver 1206 itself may becoupled to USB port 1208, and communications from the baseband processormay be passed through USB port 1208. The second radio transceiver may beused for wirelessly backhauling eNodeB 1200.

Processor 1202 and baseband processor 1203 are in communication with oneanother. Processor 1202 may perform routing functions, and may determineif/when a switch in network configuration is needed. Baseband processor1203 may generate and receive radio signals for both radio transceivers1205 and 1206, based on instructions from processor 1202. In someembodiments, processors 1202 and 1203 may be on the same physical logicboard. In other embodiments, they may be on separate logic boards.

Processor 1202 may identify the appropriate network configuration, andmay perform routing of packets from one network interface to anotheraccordingly. Processor 1202 may use memory 1201, in particular to storea routing table to be used for routing packets. Baseband processor 1203may perform operations to generate the radio frequency signals fortransmission or retransmission by both transceivers 1205 and 1206.Baseband processor 1203 may also perform operations to decode signalsreceived by transceivers 1205 and 1206. Baseband processor 1203 may usememory 1204 to perform these tasks.

The first radio transceiver 1205 may be a radio transceiver capable ofproviding LTE eNodeB functionality, and may be capable of higher powerand multi-channel OFDMA. The second radio transceiver 1206 may be aradio transceiver capable of providing LTE UE functionality. Bothtransceivers 1205 and 1206 may be capable of receiving and transmittingon one or more LTE bands. In some embodiments, either or both oftransceivers 1205 and 1206 may be capable of providing both LTE eNodeBand LTE UE functionality. Transceiver 1205 may be coupled to processor1202 via a Peripheral Component Interconnect-Express (PCI-E) bus, and/orvia a daughtercard. As transceiver 1206 is for providing LTE UEfunctionality, in effect emulating a user equipment, it may be connectedvia the same or different PCI-E bus, or by a USB bus, and may also becoupled to SIM card 1207. First transceiver 1205 may be coupled to firstradio frequency (RF) chain (filter, amplifier, antenna) 1213, and secondtransceiver 1214 may be coupled to second RF chain (filter, amplifier,antenna) 1212.

SIM card 1207 may provide information required for authenticating thesimulated UE to the evolved packet core (EPC). When no access to anoperator EPC is available, a local EPC may be used, or another local EPCon the network may be used. This information may be stored within theSIM card, and may include one or more of an international mobileequipment identity (IMEI), international mobile subscriber identity(IMSI), or another parameter needed to identify a UE. Special parametersmay also be stored in the SIM card or provided by the processor duringprocessing to identify to a target eNodeB that device 1200 is not anordinary UE but instead is a special UE for providing backhaul to device1200.

Wired backhaul, or wireless backhaul may be used. Wired backhaul may bean Ethernet-based backhaul (including Gigabit Ethernet), or afiber-optic backhaul connection, or a cable-based backhaul connection,in some embodiments. Additionally, wireless backhaul may be provided inaddition to wireless transceivers 1205 and 1206, which may be Wi-Fi802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad/ah, Bluetooth, ZigBee, microwave (includingline-of-sight microwave), or another wireless backhaul connection. Anyof the wired and wireless connections described herein may be usedflexibly for either access (providing a network connection to UEs) orbackhaul (providing a mesh link or providing a link to a gateway or corenetwork), according to identified network conditions and needs, and maybe under the control of processor 1202 for reconfiguration.

A GPS module 1209 may also be included, and may be in communication witha GPS antenna 1211 for providing GPS coordinates, as described herein.When mounted in a vehicle, the GPS antenna may be located on theexterior of the vehicle pointing upward, for receiving signals fromoverhead without being blocked by the bulk of the vehicle or the skin ofthe vehicle. Automatic neighbor relations (ANR) module 1210 may also bepresent and may run on processor 1202 or on another processor, or may belocated within another device, according to the methods and proceduresdescribed herein.

Other elements and/or modules may also be included, such as a homeeNodeB, a local gateway (LGW), a self-organizing network (SON) module,or another module. Additional radio amplifiers, radio transceiversand/or wired network connections may also be included.

The above-described features and applications can be implemented assoftware processes that are specified as a set of instructions recordedon a computer-readable storage medium (also referred to as computerreadable medium). When these instructions are executed by one or moreprocessing unit(s) (e.g. one or more processors, cores of processors, orother processing units), they cause the processing unit(s) to performthe actions indicated in the instructions. Examples of computer readablemedia include, but are not limited to, CD-ROMs, flash drives, harddrives, RAM chips, EPROMs, etc. The computer-readable media does notinclude carrier waves and electronic signals passing wirelessly or wiredconnections.

In the specification, the term “software” is meant to include firmwareresiding in read-only memory or applications stored in magnetic storageor flash storage, for example, a solid-state drive, which can be readinto memory for processing by a processor. Also, in someimplementations, multiple software technologies can be implemented assub-parts of a larger program while remaining distinct softwaretechnologies. In some implementations, multiple software technologiescan also be implemented as separate programs. Finally, any combinationof separate programs that together implement a software technologydescribed here is within the scope of the subject technology. In someimplementations, the software programs, when installed to operate on oneor more electronics systems, define one or more specific machineimplementations that execute and perform the operations of the softwareprograms.

A computer program (also known as program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, declarative orprocedural languages, and it can be deployed in any form, including as astandalone program or as a module, component, subroutine, object, oranother unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram may, but need not correspond to a file in a file system. Aprogram can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programsor data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in a markup languagedocument), in a single file dedicated to the program in question, or inmultiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store one or more modules,sub-programs, or portions of code). A computer program can be deployedto be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are locatedat one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by acommunication network.

These functions described above can be implemented in digital electroniccircuitry, in computer software, hardware, or firmware. The techniquescan be implemented using one or more computer program products.Programmable processors and computers can be included in or packaged asmobile devices. The process and logic flows can be performed by one ormore programmable processors and by one or more programmable logiccircuitry. General and special purpose computing devices and storagedevices can be interconnected through communication networks.

Some implementations include electronic components, for examplemicroprocessors, storage and memory that store computer programinstructions in a machine-readable or computer-readable medium(alternatively referred to as computer-readable storage media,machine-readable media, or machine-readable storage media). Someexamples of such computer-readable media include RAM, ROM, read-onlycompact discs (CD-ROM), readable compact discs (CD-R), rewritablecompact discs (CD-RW), read-only digital versatile discs (e.g., DVD-ROM,dual-layer DVD-ROM), a variety of recordable/rewritable DVDs (e.g.DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, etc.), flash memory (e.g., SD cards, mini-SDcards, micro-SD cards, etc.), magnetic or solid-state hard drives,read-only and recordable Blu-Ray® discs, ultra-density optical discs,any other optical or magnetic media, and floppy disks. Thecomputer-readable media can store a computer program that is executed byat least one processing unit and includes sets of instructions forperforming various operations. Examples of computer programs or computercode include machine code, for example is produced by a compiler, andfiles including higher-level code that are executed by a computer, anelectronic component, or a microprocessor using an interpreter.

While the above discussion primarily refers to microprocessor ormulti-core processors that execute software, some implementations areperformed by one or more integrated circuits, for example applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs). In some implementations, such integrated circuits executeinstructions that are stored in the circuit itself.

As used in this specification and any claims of this application, theterms “computer”, “server”, “processor”, and “memory” all refer toelectronic or other technological devices. These terms exclude people orgroups of people. For the purpose of the specification, the termsdisplay or displaying means displaying on an electronic device. As usedin this specification and any claims of this application, the terms“computer-readable media” and “computer readable medium” are entirelyrestricted to tangible, physical objects that store information in aform that is readable by a computer. These terms exclude any wireless,wired download signals, and any other ephemeral signals.

To provide for interaction with a user, implementations of the subjectmatter described in this specification can be implemented on a computerhaving a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquidcrystal display) monitor, or any other available monitor types, fordisplaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device,e.g., mouse or trackball, by which the user can provide input to thecomputer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interactionwith a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can beany form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, tactile feedback,or auditory feedback; and input from the user can be received in anyform, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input. In addition, acomputer can interact with a user by sending documents to and receivingdocuments from a device that is used by the user; for example, bysending web pages to a web browser on a user's client device in responseto requests received from the web browser.

The subject matter described in this specification can be implemented ina computing system that includes a back-end component, e.g., as a dataserver, or that includes a middleware component, e.g., an applicationserver, or that includes a front-end component, e.g., a client computerhaving a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a usercan interact with an implementation of the subject matter described inthis specification, or any combination of one or more such back-end,middleware, or front-end components. The components of the system can beinterconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication,e.g., a communication network. Examples of communication network includea local area network (“LAN”), an inter-network (e.g., the Internet), andpeer-to-peer networks (e.g., ad-hoc peer-to-peer networks).

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. In someaspects of the disclosed subject matter, a server transmits data (e.g.,an HTML page) to a client device (e.g., for purpose of displaying datato and receiving user input from a user interacting with the clientdevice). Data generated at the client device (e.g., a result of the userinteraction) can be received from the client device at the server.

It is understood that any specific order or hierarchy of steps in theprocesses disclosed is an illustration of example approaches. Based upondesign preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged, or that allillustrated steps be performed. Some of the steps may be performedsimultaneously. For example, in certain circumstances, multitasking andparallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation ofvarious system components illustrated above should not be understood asrequiring such separation, and it should be understood that thedescribed program components and system can generally be integratedtogether in a single software product or packaged into multiple softwareproducts.

Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent, and thegeneric principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus,the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein,but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the languageclaims, where reference to an element in singular is not intended tomean “one and only one” unless specifically so states, but rather “oneor more.” Unless expressly stated otherwise, the term “some” refers toone or more. Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminineand neuter gender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. Headings andsubheadings, if any, are used for convenience only, and do not limit thesubject technology.

A phrase, for example, an “aspect” does not imply that the aspect isessential to the subject technology or that the aspect applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to anaspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. Aphrase, for example, an aspect may refer to one or more aspects and viceversa. A phrase, for example, a “configuration” does not imply that suchconfiguration is essential to the subject technology or that suchconfiguration applies to all configurations of the subject technology. Adisclosure relating to a configuration may apply to all configurationsor one or more configurations. A phrase, for example, a configurationmay refer to one or more configurations and vice versa.

The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplaryembodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, softwarethat, when executed, causes a device to perform the methods describedherein may be stored on a computer-readable medium such as a computermemory storage device, a hard disk, a flash drive, an optical disc, orthe like. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the presentinvention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing fromthe spirit or essential characteristics thereof. For example, wirelessnetwork topology can also apply to wired networks, optical networks, andthe like. The methods may apply to LTE-compatible networks, toUMTS-compatible networks, or to networks for additional protocols thatutilize radio frequency data transmission. Various components in thedevices described herein may be added, removed, or substituted withthose having the same or similar functionality. Various steps asdescribed in the figures and specification may be added or removed fromthe processes described herein, and the steps described may be performedin an alternative order, consistent with the spirit of the invention.Accordingly, the disclosure of the present invention is intended to beillustrative of, but not limiting of, the scope of the invention, whichis specified in the following claims.

1. A method, comprising: configuring, based on hardware characteristicsof a radio access device, a first security certificate; setting up afirst encrypted tunnel with a first security server using the firstsecurity certificate, the first security server configured to grantpermission via the first security certificate for obtaining a secondsecurity certificate providing access to an operator core network;tearing down the first encrypted tunnel; and setting up a secondencrypted tunnel to a second security server within the operator corenetwork using the second security certificate, the second encryptedtunnel configured to allow the radio access device to securelycommunicate with the operator core network for providing connectivityfor user devices to the operator core network, wherein the secondsecurity certificate is an operational certificate containing securityinformation specific to the operator core network, and wherein the firstencrypted tunnel and the second encrypted tunnel use a single transportport, thereby enabling the radio access device to obtain the secondsecurity certificate via the first encrypted tunnel.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising configuring the first security certificatenot based on characteristics of a telecom operator network.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising setting up the first encryptedtunnel when the radio access device is booted from a factory-configureddefault state.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the hardwarecharacteristics of the radio access device include a hardware identifierof a radio interface in the radio access device.
 5. The method of claim1, wherein the first security server is configured to permitcommunications over Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) port number4500.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first encrypted tunnel andthe second encrypted tunnel are encrypted using an IPsec protocol. 7.The method of claim 1, wherein the first security server and the secondsecurity server are certificate authorities in a public keyinfrastructure (PKI).
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstsecurity certificate is configured to limit traffic using IPsec trafficselectors.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio access device isa small cell, femto cell, macro cell, wireless access point, or wirelessaccess gateway.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first securitycertificate is a factory-installed certificate, and wherein the securityinformation is not present on the radio access device prior to issuanceof the second security certificate.
 11. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising, at a gateway situated between the radio access device andthe operator core network, proxying public key infrastructure (PKI)communications between the radio access device and the operator corenetwork.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at a gatewaysituated between the radio access device and the operator core network,requesting the second security certificate on behalf of the radio accessdevice.
 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at a gatewaysituated between the radio access device and the operator core network,managing security certificates for a plurality of radio access devices.14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first security server is agateway situated between the radio access device and the operator corenetwork.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio access device is avirtualized radio access device in a radio access network.
 16. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first encrypted tunnel and the secondencrypted tunnel transport certificate management protocol messages. 17.The method of claim 1, further comprising sending provisioningconfiguration for the radio access device through the first encryptedtunnel from the first security server to the radio access device.
 18. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions which,when executed on a processor, perform steps comprising: configuring,based on hardware characteristics of a radio access device, a firstsecurity certificate; setting up a first encrypted tunnel with a firstsecurity server using the first security certificate, the first securityserver configured to grant permission via the first security certificatefor obtaining a second security certificate providing access to anoperator core network; tearing down the first encrypted tunnel; andsetting up a second encrypted tunnel to a second security server withinthe operator core network using the second security certificate, thesecond encrypted tunnel configured to allow the radio access device tosecurely communicate with the operator core network for providingconnectivity for user devices to the operator core network, therebyenabling the radio access device to obtain the second securitycertificate via the first encrypted tunnel.
 19. The computer-readablemedium of claim 15, the steps further comprising configuring the firstsecurity certificate not based on characteristics of a telecom operatornetwork.
 20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, the steps furthercomprising setting up the first encrypted tunnel when the radio accessdevice is booted from a factory-configured default state.
 21. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the hardwarecharacteristics of the radio access device include a hardware identifierof a radio interface in the radio access device, wherein the firstsecurity server is configured to permit communications over TransmissionControl Protocol (TCP) port number 4500, wherein the first encryptedtunnel and the second encrypted tunnel are encrypted using an IPsecprotocol, wherein the first security server and the second securityserver are certificate authorities in a public key infrastructure (PKI),wherein the first security certificate is configured to limit trafficusing IPsec traffic selectors, wherein the radio access device is asmall cell, femto cell, macro cell, wireless access point, or wirelessaccess gateway, wherein the first security certificate is afactory-installed certificate, and wherein the second securitycertificate is an operational certificate containing securityinformation specific to the operator core network, the securityinformation not present on the radio access device prior to issuance ofthe second security certificate.
 22. A method, comprising: receiving, ata security gateway situated between a radio access device and anoperator core network, a first request for a first encrypted tunnelusing a first certificate from a radio access device; validating thefirst certificate using identifying information of the radio accessdevice in the first certificate; granting permission, at the securitygateway, for the radio access device to obtain a second securitycertificate providing access to the operator core network; requesting,at the security gateway, on behalf of the radio access device, thesecond security certificate from a second security gateway in theoperator core network; sending, at the security gateway, the secondsecurity certificate to the radio access device using the firstencrypted tunnel; and tearing down the first encrypted tunnel.